Cost of a United Ireland and the GFA

This type of thread always runs into the ground because of the range of issues involved and it is easy for people to latch on to one relatively unimportant element.

These can be grouped into the political and the economic. The citizens assembly can deliberate on the former, other bodies are needed to look at the latter.

Public employment in NI is not growing, and there won't be large scale public funding in the net few years. The large number of public servants can be reduced by early retirement and move to Britain provisions. Generally everyone in education and health will be needed whatever system is in place.

Pensions come in the form of the civil service pensions, for both devolved and central services, other public service, contributory pensions and welfare pensions paid to people without enough income. All of these could be treated differently, which is where the complexity arises.

It is quite wrong to say that there are no economic benefits for the island as a whole, once you go north of the line from Dublin to Galway there are diseconomies of various sorts that will be improved. In an overheating economy the northern part of the country can still develop further, there are huge diseconomies in the north-west, there is no reason that Derry should be less successful than Limerick or Galway, it hugely unachieves at present.

There is a cost but it is a complex calculation and sound bites do not capture the issue. There is need for serious thinking on the subject from economists, tax experts and the like.

As for the Unionist Community strongly objecting to a United Ireland still being called the Republic of Ireland, they should not have much of a problem as the term "Republic of Ireland" is not much used even when it should be.

That is a huge compliment to the FG and FF governments that have been in power during that period.

However, extrapolating that scenario forward is difficult. I don't see the parties that have created the success you speak of advocating for the type of united Ireland that you put forward.

You expect people to leave their homes and families behind.

There really is no limit to the cruelty that some will impose in their pursuit of a united Ireland.

I don't require anyone to go anywhere. However, it is probable that some will choose to do so and they will take their families with them. People move around all the time.

The cruelty lies in having a colonial regime still in the 21st century. Are you campaigning for Blanchardstown to be ruled from London?

A 26 county Ireland was a fudge from the very start and caused thousands of deaths in the civil war & the Troubles.

It should have either been a United Ireland ( 32 Counties ) or all of us remain under British rule not 26 of us are ok Jack and 6 of us arent !!

Why should people in Kilkenny & Galway be free from British Rule & People from Derry or Armagh have to live under it ??

And just look at us now!

One of the most indebted nations on the planet.

We probably could have used a few more bean counters eh?

https://www.sluggerotoole.com/2022/12/23/comparing-the-uk-and-irish-economies/

Using GDP to measure the Irish economy?

LoL.

It is the people of Tyrone and the rest of Northern Ireland who wish themselves to be ruled from London.

There is zero evidence that the EU and the US will contribute any funding to a united Ireland, yet we have several posters on here, and commentators in the national media trying to sell us those magic beans.

The people of Belfast are no less free than the people of Dublin

Your colonial mindset prevents you from seeing it.

And yes, the North is a bit of a financial basket case.

That's kinda my point.

Well the referendum in 1974 confirmed the union.

Part of NI problem is poor governance. Conor Murphy has been a disaster. Who's to say that in a United Ireland that poor governance wouldn't just continue.

Maybe SF should try to fix the economy in Northern Ireland first and then consider unity when it is more affordable? If they can't make a fist of it as part of the uk you'd hardly have confidence in them to make a go of it in a UI.

If they worked with their budgets better, the amount of subsidy would reduce and also the amount needed in the event of a UI would also reduce.

The SF/IRA tactic of making NI a failed state is only hurting themselves. The polls show little appetite in Ireland for funding NI if unity becomes a realistic prospect.

You do know the NI workforce is disproportionately made up of PS workers?

Good luck getting them and their families to vote for a UI with mass PS redundancies. Doubt unity would have much support from the unions in Ireland either in such a scenario.